At Her Bedside
by AngelD0418
Summary: Samantha is a very sick little girl. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Alright, in my other story I was kinda wrong about who this belongs to. I guess it's technically Ed Bernero, not NBC. Sorry about that.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I know I'm being a bad writer by having two unfinished stories up at once, but I just couldn't wait. This is my third story and it involves Bosco's fictional life, which involves a daughter, Sam, and a dead wife, Sarah. In this story, Sam is 5 years old. On with the story!

**At Her Bedside**

"Daddy? Are you takin' me to school today?"

"You bet I am." It was Monday morning and Bosco hadn't had to work the day before, so he was full of energy. He hoisted his 5 year old daughter Samantha high into the air and she giggled as he twirled her around in the air. He absolutely loved being able to spend this time with his daughter in the morning. He just couldn't get enough of it. Sam was the absolute center of his life. He had no one else, because his wife, Sarah, had been killed two years earlier.

Scratch that. He had his partner, Faith Yokas, who rode in 55-David with him at the 55th precinct. They work the third watch, which is 2:00-11:00pm, which means Bosco rarely gets to see his daughter. When he's home, she's at school. When she's home, he's at work. He liked to make up for lost time as much as possible.  
Sam knew that mornings like this were few and far between, so she lived it up as well. When Bosco put her down, she ran over and grabbed her Care Bears backpack. Bosco noticed that she didn't run with quite as much energy as usual. When she turned back to him, he saw the color in her face.  
"Come here a minute, Sam," Bosco said, kneeling on the ground. She walked over to him and now that she was closer, she could see she was very pale, almost white.  
"Are you feelin' alright, sweetheart?" he asked.  
"Uh-huh!" she said, almost convincingly.  
"You know," he said, "you can stay home today if your not."  
"No way Daddy! Danny's bringing his pet hamster an' he said me an' Emily could hold it!" she said excitedly.  
"Alright," Bosco said, unsure. "But if you start feelin' bad, like your tummy gets all upset or somethin' you tell your teacher right away, alright?"  
"Alright."  
"Pinky swear?"  
"Pinky pinky PINKY swear!" They shook pinkies on it and Sam ran out the door, Bosco following closely behind. At the top of the stairs, Sam briefly stopped to give a large cough, but then had resumed her brisk pace before Bosco even reached her. Bosco developed a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"…and he wanted to do it on the porch while the kids were sleepin'! Can you believe it?" Bosco's partner, Faith, said in driver's seat of their patrol car.  
"Mmhm," mumbled Bosco distractedly as he looked out the window.  
Faith eyed him wearily.

"What's the matter with you today Boz? Usually you can't stand my 'Fred and me gettin' it on' stories."  
"When you saw Sam at school today when we were dropping the kids off, did you notice anything unusual about her?"  
"Now that you mention it, she didn't seem to have quite the same vigor. And she was a little pale…" Faith didn't get to finish her statement, as they were distracted by the squawk of the radio.

"55-David, respond to disturbance at 103 9th and King."  
"55-David responding, 103 9th and King," Bosco said into his radio. They didn't get to further their conversation because it was drowned out by the sirens of their car. The knot in Bosco's stomach steadily grew.

The disturbance they responded to was not unusual. Someone found someone cheating on someone else and fists and furniture flew. It was so tough to break the two men and the woman fighting that they had to call in 55-Charlie, Sully and Ty, to help them detain the two men. The woman was sitting on the couch, bleeding from an injury caused, no doubt, by a flying table lamp. Sully and Ty were in the bedroom, slapping the handcuffs on the two men and Bosco and Faith were with the woman in the living room.  
"Bosco, we'd better call a bus for her. That's a pretty bad cut on her face," said Faith.  
"Nah, we'll just take her ourselves. It'll take them too long to get here and it's not that serious. Besides, we need to keep an eye on her, just in case she decides to stir up some more trouble. Isn't that right, ma'am?" Bosco addressed the woman in a snide tone. She gave him the dirtiest look she could muster, but in her current state, she couldn't move her face much.  
"Sully," called Faith. "You got them?"  
"Yeah go ahead to Mercy."  
"Alright." She turned to the woman. "C'mon gorgeous. We're gettin' you cleaned up and put into the cell where you belong." She pulled the woman to her feet and they proceeded to their car.

Bosco and Faith walked into the busy ER of New York's own Angel of Mercy Hospital, pulling along the woman between them.  
"Hey Mary," said Bosco to the nurse at the admitting desk. "Got a clean up job for ya," he said with a smirk.  
"Gee, thanks. And we've been saying you guys never give us anything. Put her in chairs. We'll get to her eventually." Bosco brought her over to a waiting chair and handcuffed her to the chair.  
"Is this absolutely necessary, officer?" she asked.  
"You bet," he responded. He walked over to the desk to begin filling out paperwork for her. When he was finished, he handed it to Mary.  
"Alright," she sighed. "Bring her this way."  
"You get to go this time, Boz," said Faith. "Last time I had to go, the guy puked all over me. You owe me big time for that one."  
"Alright, alrigh, I'm goin'. Sheesh," he said, unlocking the handcuffs from around the chair. "C'mon, let's go. Move it. I got better things to do than to baby-sit you," he said to the woman. Faith just stood there and laughed.  
Minutes later, Sully and Ty walked through the door with one of the guys from the fight.  
"Well, long time no see guys."  
"Yeah, don't remind us," remarked Ty. "This guy says he needs his asthma medicine or somethin' like that. Sit," he ordered the guy when they made it to the chairs the woman had been occupying only moments ago. Ty handcuffed him to the chair as Sully made his way over to desk.  
Then, Faith heard the sound of the sirens of an ambulance pulling up to the ER bay doors. Suddenly, she was scared. Very scared. She watched as her friend, Kim Zambrano, jumped, leaped actually, out of the driver's seat of the ambulance. She could see the urgency on her face. Dr. Moralis and a few nurses ran past Faith, Sully, and Ty to the ambulance bay. Kim disappeared behind the ambulance and reappeared moments later with her partner, Bobby Caffey, a gurney with someone on it, and Moralis and nurses, in tow. Faith couldn't really tell, but it looked like someone small. She could see the worried look on Bobby's face as well. Faith felt pure terror in the pit of her stomach. Time seemed to go in slow motion as the gurney was rolled in past her. On it was her partners daughter, Sam Boscorelli.  
"Oh my God," said Sully. Faith couldn't say anything. She couldn't move. She just stared as they rolled Sam's gurney through the automatic doors and into the trauma room. Kim started to go in, but, seeing Bobby had control of the situation, stopped at Faith.  
"Faith, where's Bosco? We need him right now," she said. Kim was just as worried as Faith was. "Sam is very, very sick. She collapsed at school. Look at me, Faith. Where's Bosco?" Faith just stood there, with tears forming in her eyes.  
"Faith!" Faith snapped out of it.  
"Oh God, I've gotta get Boz." She ran off into the back, leaving Kim, Sully, and Ty behind.

Faith ran with more determination than she had ever had in her life towards the examining rooms in the back of the ER. Searching for Bosco's face in every one of the rooms, she finally came across him and the prisoner in the very last room. Mary was stitching up the woman's head as Bosco leaned against the wall, a bored look on his face, staring at the opposite wall. When Faith rushed into the room, however, with tears in her eyes, Bosco hurriedly pushed himself off the wall.

"Faith, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh God, Bosco. It's Sam. They brought her in. She collapsed at school. She doesn't look good," she said, shakily. Before she could finish her thoughts, Bosco had run past her towards the trauma room. She followed closely behind.

For Bosco, it was the longest 50 feet of his life from the exam room to the trauma room. He ran past Ty, Sully, Kim, and Bobby at the admitting desk and through the automatic trauma doors. He felt his stomach drop to his toes as his heart pounded in his chest. There was his precious baby girl, lying very still, almost too still, on a gurney. There was a flurry of activity from the doctors and nurses as they worked on her. He felt Faith's presence beside him, but didn't react. Couldn't react. All he could do was watch as Dr. Moralis and the nurses in the room spit medical jargon back and forth and stuck various tubes and IV's into Sam's body. He still had no idea what had happened, until he suddenly remembered how sick Sam looked that morning.

"Oh God," he said, finally breathing. "Moralis, tell me, what's goin' on?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Bosco, all I can tell you is that she is a very, very sick little girl," she said as she moved around Sam's body. "She has a fever of almost 105, she's very dehydrated, and barely breathing on her own. Has she been sick?"

"She looked sick this morning, but she told me she felt fine. I shouldn't have believed her! Is she gonna be alright?" he asked, feeling hysterical. He needed to know.

"I don't know Bosco. We won't know until we get blood work back from the lab. For now, I'm most concerned about her tempurature and her-." She was cut off by the sudden vigorous motions of Sam's body.

"She's having a febrile seizure. Bosco, Faith, I need you guys to clear out so we have some room to move," Moralis yelled at the two partners standing by the doorway.

"NO!" shouted Bosco. "You have to help her. Please! Don't let her die!" Tears began coursing their way down his cheeks as he felt the strong arms of an orderly shoving him and Faith out the doors. He stood outside the glass and pressed his face to it, his tears staining the window. He felt Faith's arm slink around his shoulders and was grateful for the support. He watched as Sam's convulsions slowly stopped and Moralis once again shouting orders. He heard Sully and Kim come up behind him and Faith and listened to the conversation between them and Faith.

"Me an' Davis will go back to the station and tell Lieu what's going on, then come back and see how you're all doing," said Sully. Faith just nodded her head. Bosco didn't even acknowledge he was there. "She's young, she strong." With that, him and Ty slowly turned around and walked away. Kim took that opportunity to walk up to them.

"If you need anything just let me or Bobby or anyone else at the firehouse know and we'll help you out in anyway possible," she said quietly. She was quite shaken up as well. She was concerned for Sam as she was quite close to her, but also, she couldn't help but think of her own three year old son, Joey. She thought about what she would do if it had been him in Sam's situation.She was glad that it wasn't her son, and for that she felt guilty."We'll come by a little later."

"You can count on it," said Bobby, coming up behind her. "She's a fighter, don't forget it." Then, the two of them turned around and left. Throughout the entire conversation, Bosco never took his eyes off Sam. He then saw Dr. Moralis coming through the doors with a grim look in her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** See the previous chapter. The only thing in this story that's mine is Sam Boscorelli.

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the good reviews already! That's really encouraging. A couple of things in this chapter I've gotten off and anything that didn't come from there came from ER. I'm not a doctor, so if I got something wrong, sorry!

"Bosco, it's not good." In those four words, Bosco felt his world crumble around him. "Has she been sick at all in the past few weeks?"

"She's had a cold," he started shakily. "I kept her home from school a few days last week because she was running a fever. But she seemed alright. I thought she was over the worst of it. How bad is it?"

"Well, we can't know for sure. We sent some blood upstairs to the lab for testing. We think it might be bacterial meningitis." Bosco's stomach was in his feet. He didn't know exactly what meningitis was, but he had heard of it, and he knew it could be deadly. "But we're going to have to do a lumbar puncture to be sure."

"Aren't those things painful?" said Faith from Bosco's side.

"Unfortunately yes, and it will be especially traumatic for someone as young as Sam. That's why we're going to need your help," she said, indicating Bosco. "We need you to hold her down and keep her calm. Talk to her, make her focus on you. It's going to hurt a lot, and the calmer she is, the easier it will be." Bosco simply nodded and looked over Moralis's shoulder to the trauma room, where they were wheeling an unconscious Sam to another room. He turned to follow without giving another glance to the two women.

"Doctor, can I be in there too?" asked Faith. She loved Sam too.

"Sure you can. The more people to keep her calm the better."

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, Bosco had followed Sam's gurney into a room near the end of the hallway and went to her bedside as she was hooked up to the machines that would monitor her. As he took her tiny hand in his, he reached up to gently push her shaggy bangs from her forehead. She stirred under his touch and he was greeted with her mother's big green eyes.

"Hi sweetheart," he said softly. She looked around in confusion, and rightfully so. The last time she had been awake, she was in a room full of toys, her friends, and her friend's little hamster. Now she was in a white room with cold, sterile equipment and her dad sitting by her side with an almost sad look on his face.

"Daddy?" she croaked questioningly, almost as if she didn't recognize him.

"Yeah, baby. How do you feel?"

"I don't feel good."

"That's why we're here. Doctor Moralis is gonna make you feel better, okay?"

"Okay Daddy." She turned her head to the door when it opened. "Aunt Faith?" she said.

"Hi, banana," she greeted her as she went to sit opposite of Bosco. She was followed in by Doctor Moralis and two other nurses.

"Hi Sam," said Doctor Moralis. "Do you remember me?"

"Uh-huh. When Doc and Carlos took me for a ride in the ambulance, we came here and I saw you."

"Well you'll be happy to know that I remember you too. Now, I understand that you're not feeling well."

"Uh-uh. My tummy hurts and my head hurts and everything else hurts too."

"We're going to find out why you hurt so much, but to do that, we're going to have to do a test on you that's going to hurt." Bosco admired the woman for being gentle with his daughter, and at the same time, straightforward.

"Is it gonna hurt a lot?" she asked fearfully, shrinking more into the bed.

"It might, but that's why your daddy and your Aunt Faith are here. They're going to talk to you so you don't notice it so much, okay?" Sam didn't respond. She just turned her head and looked at her dad with questioning eyes.

"She's absolutely right, sweetie," Bosco said quickly. "We're both gonna be right here with you, okay? You can do it. You'll be alright." Again, Sam didn't say anything, but this time she slightly nodded. During this time, the nurses had been prepping the tray for the spinal tap, and now it was time to prep the patient. The nurses turned Sam on her side and opened the back of her hospital gown. Faith, who had been over there, gasped when she saw Sam's back. It was covered in bright red rashes. Bosco looked at her in confusion.

"This is one of the telltale signs," Doctor Moralis said to Faith quietly. Faith nodded numbly and moved over to the other side where Sam could see her face. Doctor Moralis pulled the tray of instruments over to her and looked at Bosco and Faith to signal that they should start distracting her.

"Hey Sammi, did you get to see Danny's hamster today?" Bosco asked her.

"Uh-uh," she said, suddenly tiring. Bosco saw Moralis pick up a needle and even he flinched.

"Did I ever tell you about the pet hamster I had when I was your age?" She cried out as she felt a needle enter her back. "Relax baby, it's alright."

"Are you doing alright, Sam?" Moralis asked.

"It hurts."

"I know it does. Just hang on. It'll be over soon." Bosco looked at Moralis and visibly paled when he saw Moralis pick up an even bigger needle. She mouthed to him that he and Faith were going to have to hold her down. Bosco put one hand on her head, which was very hot to the touch, and one hand gripped her shoulder. Faith put a hand on Sam's waist, and one on her legs.

"My hamster's name was Zippy 'cause he was the fastest hamster I had ever seen. He nearly broke his exercise wheel," he continued.

"Daddy, I'm scared." She knew something bad was coming.

"Don't be scared. I gotcha." Sam let out an ear piercing scream and began sobbing harshly. She struggled to get away from what was hurting her, but she was unable to get away from Bosco and Faith's grasp.

"Just hold on," Moralis said over the child's weeping. "Just another few minutes." Bosco didn't know if he could stand another few minutes, let alone Sam. She was sobbing so hard she could barely get words out of her mouth.

"Daddy...it...daddy make it stop! It hurts! Let me go! Please daddy it hurts! Daddy!" Bosco could feel himself start to break as her pleading reached his ears. He couldn't stand to hurt her. He just wanted to yank the needle out of her and wrap her up in his arms and wipe away her tears. He had to keep reminding himself that this was going to help her, not hurt her.

"Sam, look at me," he said, bending down to look her in the face. "Do you know what color my hamster was? It was the same color as your hair. It was a little brown fluff ball." Sam was trying to focus on her dad's face, but it hurt so much.

When Doctor Moralis finally announced she was done, Sam was no longer crying. All she could do was whimper as she stared in her dad's face with a look of betrayal.

"You did great, Sam," Moralis said, coming around to look Sam in the face. "We're going to let you take a little nap now, okay?" Sam simply closed her eyes and drifted quickly off to sleep. "We should have the test results in a few hours," she said, addressing Bosco. "You can stay in here with her until she wakes up." She turned to go out the door, but then turned back. "I'm sorry I had to do this to her, Bosco. It's one of the things I hate most about my job."

"I know you had to do it, Doc. Thanks." With that, Moralis left. Bosco turned back to Sam and pulled the blanket the nurses had pulled over her tighter around her and gave her a peck on the cheek. It wasn't until he went to rub his eyes that he discovered he had been crying. Embarrassed, he quickly rubbed them away. He heard a sniff next to him and realized that Faith was still in the room. She was wiping away her own tears.

"Faith, could you call Ma for me?" he asked.

"Sure, no problem Bosco." She swiftly jumped out of her seat and walked into the hallway, perhaps also embarrassed by the tears she had shed. Bosco turned back to Sam, who was in a state of fitful slumber. He was suddenly exhausted himself. He laid his head down on the same pillow that his daughter's head was propped up on and rested his chin on her head. He closed his eyes and drifted off as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: See the previous. Only Sam Boscorelli belongs to me.

**Author's Note**: This one was hard for me to write, just because I was having horrible writer's block. It's shorter than the other chapters. Again a lot of information I got for this chapter is from Oh, and I just realized that in this chapter and in previous ones, I spelled Doctor Moralis's name wrong. It should be Morales, but I'm not going to change it now for consistency's sake. On with the story!

"Hey Mo, aren't you uncomfortable like that?" Bosco heard a voice say through his sleep-muddled brain. He opened his eyes and looked upon the face of his younger brother, Mikey. It took him a second to place where he was until he looked around. He looked down at Sam still asleep, looking sicker than ever.

"What are you doing here, Mikey?" Bosco asked, confused.

"I was at Ma's place when Faith called her. I came with her. I love Sam too, you know."

"You mean you weren't too busy doin' a number to come see your own niece?" Bosco asked, for he knew the habits of his younger brother. Mikey gave him a mixed look of sadness and anger, and Bosco immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, Mike. It's just…"

"I know, man. I know. No worries." He went to sit down on the other side of Sam. He stared at her for a minute before addressing Bosco. "So…how's the little bugger doin'?"

"Not good," Bosco sighed. "We're waitin' for the test results. Where are Ma and Faith?"

"They went downstairs to get some coffee. Ma was kinda having a hard time seeing Sam…you know…"

"Yeah, I know." They sat in silence and watched Sam breathe. Since she had fallen asleep, her breathing had become much more ragged. They listened as she wheezed in and out. Mikey reached his hand towards Sam's face and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Her head is really hot, Mo." At Mikey's touch, Sam stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey, bugger," greeted Mikey. Sam gave him a blank look. Mikey gave a worried glance towards Bosco. Mikey was one of Sam's favorite people. If anything could have made Sam feel better, it would have been the sight of her Uncle Mikey. But it seemed like she couldn't even remember who he was.

"Sammi?" Bosco said, grabbing her attention. "Do you know who that is?" Sam slowly turned her head back towards Mikey. She shook her head. "Do you know who I am?" Sam stared at him for a long time, scaring Bosco.

"Daddy?" she whispered.

"Yeah, sweetheart. It's Daddy," he said, slightly relieved that she could at least remember who he was. But when he looked up at Mikey and saw how shaken up he was, his relief quickly disappeared.

"I'm tired," Sam said. "My head hurts." Before Bosco could respond, Moralis came through the door.

"Bosco? Can I talk to you outside? I have the test results."

"Yeah sure, hold on a second." He turned to Sam to tell her that he would be right back, but she had already fallen back asleep. He gave her a quick peck on her hot little forehead and followed Moralis out the door, with Mikey right on his heels. When they got into the hallway, they saw that Faith and Rose were coming back from the cafeteria. When they had joined the group, Doctor Moralis began.

"First of all, sorry we haven't moved her upstairs to the PICU yet. There are a lot of people up there. She'll have a spot in the next hour. Second of all, I have the test results from her lumbar puncture." The four of them drew in a breath. "Unfortunately, we were correct. It's bacterial meningitis. We are already getting her started on an aggressive medication. We'll monitor her very closely. However, I want you all to know that I can't promise anything. With this disease, there is the possibility of seizures, coma, or she may not be able to breathe without the aide of a machine. You may have noticed, while she was awake, she was very confused."

"That explains why she didn't know who I was!" exclaimed Mikey.

"Yes, that's why. The fever is interfering with brain functions. One of the most important things we need to do right now is lower her fever." Bosco had been very quiet through all of this. When she was done, he spoke up.

"Is she gonna die?" he asked softly, not quite meeting Moralis's eyes. She hesitated before answering, and Bosco hung his head.

"Honestly, Bosco, I don't know. Most of the people I get with this die within a week." Bosco held back tears. "But there have been a few cases where people do pull through. In Sam's case, I'm really not sure if being so young will help her or hurt her. I promise we'll do the best we can."

"I know you will. Thanks, Doc." Seeing that there was nothing else she could do there, Moralis turned and walked into Sam's room to prepare her to go upstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: See the other ones.

**Author's Note**: Really short. I know. Sorry. It was hard to get this chapter out. I've been having trouble with it lately. I'm not sure where to go now. Anyway, enjoy this one.

Doctor Moralis stood outside the doors to the ER on her break, watching her breath in the cold air. She was shaken up by what was happening to Sam. She couldn't understand why this was this affecting her so much. She had certainly seen this sickness before. It wasn't Sam's age. She'd seen it in a lot younger kids. Maybe it was because she actually knew Sam. Yeah, maybe that was it.

Black shoes came into her view of the ground and she looked up into the face of Doc Parker.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey yourself," she said back.

"You alright? It's freezing out here and you look like you could care less."

"Yeah, well, I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Wanna tell me what's goin' on?"

"It's Sam Boscorelli," Moralis sighed.

"Oh yeah. I heard about what happened from Bobby. Is she alright? From his description she looked pretty bad."

"She's got bacterial meningitis, Doc."

"Damn." He knew what that meant.

"Yeah. It's really bad, Doc. She's already had two seizures: one when she first arrived and then one while we were taking her up to the PICU. Poor Bosco's taking this really hard." For once, Doc didn't have anything bad to say about Bosco. As much as Doc didn't like him, he loved Bosco's daughter.

"Is there anything I can do?" Doc asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not unless you can cure her with a wave of your magic wand," Moralis said bitterly. Doc didn't take it personally. "I'm gonna go up and check on her." Even though she wasn't technically in charge of Sam anymore, since she had moved out of the ER, Moralis still felt an obligation to see her through this.

"Can I come too?" Doc asked.

"Only if you're nice to Bosco." Doc held his hands up in submission. "Alright, come on."

"Can we come in?" Moralis asked, opening the door.

"Sure," replied Bosco from his place beside Sam's bed. Faith was next to him and Rose was opposite from them. Bosco's eyes hardened a little when he saw Doc walk in behind Moralis.

"Relax, Bosco," Doc said, before he could say anything. "I'm just here to see Sam. I promise." Bosco relaxed. Doc could see that he was already exhausted. He could see that Bosco's eyes were dull and there were lines around them. For once, he felt truly sorry for the man.

If he thought Bosco looked bad, Sam looked four times as much. There were more tubes and wires sticking out of her than he could count. She was whiter than the sheets she was laying on. A mask to help her breathe obscured her small face. What disturbed Doc the most, however, was the bright red rash he could see creeping up her neck.

"I'm sorry man," was all he could say. He stayed for a few more minutes before he had to excuse himself to get back to work. He walked out of the room, visibly shaken.

"Bosco, how long has it been since she last woke up?" Doctor Moralis asked concernedly.

"Not since really early this morning," he said softly. Moralis walked over to Sam and shone her penlight in Sam's eyes. She frowned.

"Bosco, I'm going to go talk to her doctor. I think they're going to need to run some more tests on her. Why don't you go take a break for a while?" She knew he hadn't slept or even moved since she had told him what Sam had.

"What's wrong now?"

"I'm not sure Bosco." Moralis felt horrible. That was the first time she had lied to him. "Go get some coffee. Step outside and get some fresh air." Bosco nodded. He had no fight left in him. He gave his usual peck to Sam's cheek and Faith and Rose did the same and followed him out. Moralis watched him go, and felt her heart sink. Things weren't looking up for Bosco or his daughter. With all the medicine she could provide, the care she could give, she couldn't fully heal Sam. It was up to Sam and the people around her to pull her through now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: See the previous ones. And I don't know if Sweet Memorial Hospital really exists. I just totally made it up. If it really does exist, then the name belongs to them.

**Author's Note**: Short, I know, but it worked in the story. Also, a short chapter most likely means that the next chapter will be out sooner. Thanks for the reviews everybody! Enjoy!

Bosco just wanted to be alone for a while. He had made Faith and his mother stay inside where it was warmer. He stood outside the doors to the ER, shivering. He couldn't believe this was happening. Sam was slowly slipping away from him. He didn't know what to do for her. When Moralis had made him leave the room, the look on her face was not encouraging. She was almost as worried as Bosco was. When the doctor is that concerned, it's usually not a good sign.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of a siren. It was an ambulance pulling up to the doors. Bobby and Kim hopped out and they didn't look to be in too big of a hurry. They strolled to the back of the bus and opened the doors. They brought out a man on a stretcher with a cut on his forehead. It didn't look serious. One of the doctors and a couple of nurses met them outside. That's when Kim and Bobby noticed Bosco leaning against the wall. They shared a look and Bobby parted from the group around the stretcher to approach Bosco.

"Hey, man," Bobby greeted.

"Hey." Bosco wasn't really in the mood to talk. He gazed past Bobby, looking at nothing.

"It's cold out here."

"Yep." Bobby was silent for a few minutes until he realized that Bosco wasn't gonna talk.

"I'm sure everyone's been asking you this, but-"

"You wanna know how Sam is, right?" Bosco looked straight up into Bobby's eyes. "Horrible. That's how she's doing." Bobby could actually see the anger and frustration building in his eyes. "It's just so bad and I don't know what to do. There's nothing I can do! She's gonna die and I have to just sit by and watch it happen. What am I supposed to do?" Bosco finished his rant with a swift kick to the dumpster and he stood by it, breathing heavily, his face red. As the ringing from the dumpster died away, Bobby saw every emotion pass through Bosco's face. He could see the grief, the sadness, the anger, the frustration all in a few seconds. Bosco breathed hard as the red in his face died away with the fury.

"Bosco, all the docs are doing the best they can for her. I know for a fact that Moralis is doing everything she can and Sam's not even her patient anymore. Unfortunately, this hospital is not the absolutely best equipped to handle this type of thing." Bosco turned to look at Bobby with a curious look on his face, and was about to question him, when he saw Moralis come out the sliding ER doors. Bosco could tell by the look on her face that it was bad news, and that she was tired of giving it to him.

"She's in a coma," Moralis said just loud enough for Bosco and Bobby to hear. Bosco wished he was numb to this bad news by now, but he wasn't. He wanted to do something about it. He wanted to help Sam. He didn't want to grieve over a daughter that wasn't dead. "There's not much hope for her if she stays here," Moralis continued. Then, for the first time, Bosco could see a bit of hope on her face. That little bit encouraged Bosco to no end. "I've been calling around. It turns out that Sweet Memorial Hospital on the other side of the city may be able to help Sam better than we can."

"No offense doc, but how soon can we get her there?" Bosco asked.

"I'd like to get her there as quickly as possible. I think the best way to do that is to send her by chopper. Bobby, would you be willing to ride along with her?" Moralis said, addressing him.

"Absolutely. I'll do anything to help."

"Can I go too?" asked Bosco.

"I'm afraid there's not enough room on the chopper for you too," Moralis said. "But we will arrange for you and your mother and Faith to get a ride over there. If fact, I'll go get that set up right now."

"Thanks Moralis. You have no idea how much this means to me." Moralis gave him a smile before ducking back into the ER. Then he turned to address Bobby. "Take care of my little girl up there."

"I will, man. I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: See all the previous ones.

**Author's Note:** So I know it's been a very long time since I've updated, but I've finally gotten past that stupid writer's block, and I've also been very...distracted lately. In case you've completely forgotten what this story is about, it's about Bosco's daughter Sam who's come down with bacterial meningitis and things are not looking very good for her. In the last chapter, Bobby offered to ride to Sweet Memorial Hospital (which I believe I made up, but could very well be real) on the helicopter with Sam. In this chapter, he does just that. Happy reading!

The sound terrified him. He was voluntarily putting his daughter on this massive beast that didn't look as big from far away. Bosco was standing on the roof with his mother and Faith, watching hospital staff put Sam into the chopper with Bobby closely supervising. Bosco had to keep telling himself that Bobby was going to be there to watch over her. He still couldn't shake the fear. He walked over to the door of the chopper to see Sam one last time before they took off.

"Don't worry, man," Bobby shouted over the noise of the helicopter. "She's in good hands."

"I know," Bosco yelled back.

"We'll meet you at Sweet." With that, the door was shut and Bosco was ordered to back away. He stood with Rose and Faith and watched the chopper take off. He watched it fly into the distance until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Bosco," said Faith. "We need to go catch our cab." Bosco nodded and followed.

Bobby never did like flying. But he wasn't about to tell Bosco that. Besides, he had other things to occupy his mind. Like the sick little girl he was currently sitting next to. It scared him to see her so small and quiet. He was used to Sam being a bundle of energy. Every time Bosco brought her by the firehouse, she was always begging them to let her climb on the busses and trucks. She was always giggling about something and her feet constantly seemed to be moving.

He remembered Christmas last year, when Bosco brought Sam by the firehouse. She gave each and every one of them a homemade Christmas card. She even gave Carlos one, who almost smiled when she presented him with it. That goofy grin she had on her face when she gave Bobby his found its way to the top of Bobby's brain and he almost chuckled. But as he glanced down at Sam's face, he noticed that same mouth that had once flashed that brilliant smile was completely obscured by an oxygen mask, and his good thoughts were replaced with worried ones.

"How much longer?" he asked over his headset to the pilot. He had just checked Sam's vitals and they weren't looking very good. He was getting increasingly nervous about her heart and breathing rates. Her breath was starting to get very shallow and he could see her struggling for each one. He was afraid he would have to intubate her right there.

"We got about another 7 to 8 minutes," replied the pilot.

"That's too long," Bobby replied. "Can't we go any faster?"

"No. We're going as fast as we can right now."

"Dammit," Bobby swore. He really didn't want to have to put a tube down her throat in the moving helicopter. He pulled off the oxygen mask and replaced it with a bag so he could manually pump the air into her lungs. There was a whine on the machine closest to Bobby that told him that Sam had stopped breathing. "No, no, no Sam, don't do this to me." There was another sound from another machine that told Bobby that her heart had stopped beating.

"Come back here and help me," he nearly screamed at the co-pilot of the chopper. The man hurried towards the back. "Take this bag and squeeze every couple of seconds," he said frantically, handing the bag over to the man. He grabbed the defibrillator and quickly started it up. "When I say clear, take the bag off her face," he told the man holding the bag. The man nodded and watched as Bobby tried to restart Sam's heart. The helicopter swayed with each jolt of her small body, but Bobby didn't even notice.

After a few frantic minutes, when Bobby was sure his heart was no longer beating either, he heard the beeps signaling the beats of Sam's heart. They were too slow, but at least they were there.

"Please tell me we're almost there," he said to the pilot.

"We're about one minute away. A team is waiting for you." Bobby breathed heavily as he took the bag back from the co-pilot and continued to pump air into Sam's lungs. He wondered how he was going to explain this to Bosco. He was supposed to be watching out for Sam. If he had been doing his job, how come she had almost died? As he could see Sweet Memorial Hospital come into view, he said a silent prayer that the little girl would survive. That was the best he could do, for now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Diclaimer**: Nothing's mine except for Doctor Bender. Oh, and Sam and Sarah Boscorelli.

**Author's Note**: Sorry it's been so long between postings. I'm trying! Thanks for all the reviews everyone. It really does keep me going. Enjoy!

Bobby sat restlessly on a chair outside the PICU. He was waiting for Bosco, Rose, and Faith to arrive. He felt so guilty over what happened on the chopper. How could he have let that happen? It was a morbid thought, but medically speaking, Sam had been dead for a few minutes. He didn't even know how Sam was doing now. The doctors wouldn't tell him anything because he wasn't family.

"Bobby!" he heard from down the hall. He recognized the voice as Bosco. He closed his eyes for a minute, trying to figure out what to tell Bosco, and stood to greet the man and the two women following him.

"How did the flight go? How is she now?" Bosco asked quickly. Three pairs of eyes watched him expectantly as he took a deep breath. Bosco immediately knew that it wasn't good.

"There were a few problems, Bosco," he started.

"What kind of problems?"

"It started out alright, but about half way through, she…she stopped breathing."

"She…she what? Stopped breathing?" Bosco said incredulously. Bobby nearly lost his nerve to continue.

"Then her heart stopped." Rose's hands flew to her mouth and tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Faith shook her head and said "No," over and over. Bosco just stared in horror. "We got her back," Bobby said quickly, realizing that they thought the worst. "As for how she is now, they won't tell me anything 'cause I'm not related," he said, his frustration starting to show. Before Bobby could see any emotion on his face, Bosco walked away from the group to the nurses' station. They watched as Bosco had a quick conversation with the nurse on duty before he came back to see them.

"The doctor's gonna come talk to us," Bosco relayed. Suddenly, Bobby couldn't tell how Bosco was feeling. His face was curiously blank. Bobby guessed that the situation had finally gotten to Bosco. His daughter's sickness was just too much for him and he was beginning to shut down. They stood there for a moment in silence, when a short, older man in a lab coat came through the automatic doors to the PICU and introduced himself as Doctor Bender.

"Which of you are Samantha's parents?" he asked.

"I'm her father," Bosco said.

"And the rest of you are….?"

"I'm her grandmother," Rose spoke up.

"I'm her, um, aunt," said Faith. If she wasn't blood related, there was no way she would be able to see Sam.

"I'm….," Bobby started, not sure what to address himself as. He wasn't very good at lying.

"This is her Uncle Bobby," Bosco said quickly. Bobby sent him a silent thanks.

"Well, as you know, Samantha is very sick. I've been told that her heart stopped once on the helicopter and it stopped again shortly after she got here. We were able to restart it. Right now we have her hooked up to a ventilator because she isn't breathing on her own. We've started aggressive treatment and we are optimistic." Those three simple words brightened the looks on everyone's faces. "We've had increasing success in treating bacterial meningitis over the last few years. We have been able to save about one-third of our patients who are as advanced as Samantha. It would be better if those numbers were a little higher, but there's hope there." There was indeed hope among those standing in that hallway, praying for a miracle.

"Can we see her?" Bosco asked.

"One at a time and only for about five minutes. Like I said, we're optimistic, but she still has a very long way to go."

"Go ahead, Bosco," Faith said. Bosco glanced back at Rose, Faith, and Bobby, and gave them what appeared to be a small smile, although they couldn't quite be sure, and followed Doctor Bender through the doors to the PICU.

Bosco was trying not to lose it. He wasn't used to this much emotion flowing through his body. He was a tough guy who did every once and a while wear his heart on his sleeve, especially where his family was concerned, but nothing in his life had ever caused him this much emotional pain. He'd felt overwhelming happiness in his life, like when he married Sarah or when Sam was born, but never this much anguish. He hadn't even felt like this when Sarah had died. He thought her death had killed him right then and there, but seeing Sam like she was now hurt even worse. At least Sarah's death had been quick. Sam was suffering and Bosco had to watch every horrible minute of it.

Bosco approached what he assumed was his daughter. It certainly didn't look like her, with what seemed like every machine known to man crowding around her bedside. He walked over to the chair by her bedside and sat down, staring at her. He grabbed her cold little hand in his larger, warm one. He had to keep telling himself that the doctors were optimistic. That she would recover. That she was a Boscorelli. That she was tough. She didn't look so tough right now.

"Come on baby," he said quietly. "You can do it. You can beat this. I know you can. I love you, Sammi." He couldn't say anymore. He could only watch her chest rise and fall with the rhythm of the ventilator. He could only wait.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Sam is mine, Doctor Bender is mine, and Doctor Barrett is mine. Oh, and I guess Sweet Memorial Hospital is mine too. Otherwise, nothing else in this story is.

Author's Note. Okay, so it has definitely been more than a year since this has been updated. I was going through some old stories and saw that it had been so long. Since it has been so long since I've written, I'm hoping this is too different from the rest of story because I'm sure my writing style has changed somewhat in the last year. If you're reading this, most likely you'll have to go back and read the rest of the story to remember what's going on. Sorry about that! I hope this might still interest a few people. Happy reading!

A week. It had been a week since Sam had been flown to Sweet Memorial Hospital. It had also been a week since Bosco had gotten any decent sleep, food, or a very good shower for that matter. He couldn't leave Sam's side. If Sam woke up, he was going to be right there at her bedside. Doctor Bender told him that she was getting better, but he just couldn't be sure until he saw those big green eyes himself.

It was a day that seemed the same as the last seven. It was a beautiful spring day outside. The kind of day in which Sam would play at the park all day long. Bosco wished more than anything that Sam was at the playground right now. But he finally felt like he had hope. It might have been his optimistic imagination, but she seemed less pale.

"I still can't believe they charge this much for this crappy coffee," Faith said as she came through the door carrying a cup for herself and a cup for Bosco. Bosco gratefully accepted his and immediately brought the warm cup to his lips. He needed it to stay awake for Sam. "Bosco, how long has it been since you've slept?" Faith asked, taking a seat next to him.

"I slept last night."

"Where? In this chair? And for how long? Half an hour? That doesn't count. You won't help Sam if you make yourself sick." Bosco had heard this over and over since Sam had gotten sick. The truth was, it was finally starting to catch up with him. All the emotions that had been running through his body for the last two weeks and the two weeks of no proper sleep or food were really wearing him down. But he couldn't leave. He just couldn't.

"Bosco, are you okay?" Bosco heard her, but didn't respond. He was suddenly very dizzy. "Bosco?" Faith asked again. He felt her hand on his shoulder just as he fell backwards off the chair and in to oblivion. "_I'm sorry, Sammi_," was his last thought.

"He's going to be okay. He's just exhausted." It was a male voice that he didn't know. Bosco couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. He was just so tired.

"Damn. I knew this would happen." That one he recognized. It was Faith.

"When will he wake up?" That one was his mother.

"Very soon." That was the male voice again.

"He'll be excited to hear about Sam." The words that Faith uttered got his attention. He forced his eyes open, squinting at the light in the room.

"What about Sam? Did she wake up?"

"Maurice! How are you feeling?" Bosco's mother asked.

"I'm fine, Ma. What about Sam?"

"Officer Boscorelli," spoke up the male voice from beside him who Bosco recognized as a doctor. "I'm Dr. Barrett. You're malnourished and will most likely be weak for a while, but you'll be fine. We're getting some nutrients in to you through an IV." For the first time, Bosco noticed the needle sticking out of him. "As soon as the bag is emptied, you can be released."

"Fine. Whatever. Tell me about Sam. Is she awake?"

"Not yet," said Faith. Bosco's face fell. "But they took her off the respirator and she's breathing more or less on her own!" Bosco could tell Faith was excited and was touched at how much his partner cared about his daughter. There had always been a connection between Faith and Sam, even when Sarah was alive. It wasn't necessarily a mother-daughter connection. It was more of an aunt-niece connection.

"That's great! That's amazing! I need to see her." Bosco pulled the blankets off of him and tried to get out of bed. Dr. Barrett put his hands on Bosco's shoulders and stopped him.

"Not yet. You have to wait. But if you want to see your daughter, just turn your head." Indeed, the other bed in the room was occupied by Sam. He had been placed in his daughter's room and he was almost positive that this was upon the insistence of Faith and his mother. Bosco could see that the tube that had been down her throat all week was now absent and replaced by an oxygen mask. She seemed to be resting a little easier. She was even starting to regain a slight bit of color. Sam still wasn't awake, but this was definitely a step in the right direction. And with that, Bosco could rest just that much easier.


End file.
